Mild spoilers through the beginning of Archylte Steppe

Resonant Blue

Searching for sheep to shear through the emerald waves felt like a calm vacation compared to the tasks of earlier. Serah ran her hands through the long wisps of green as though she waded through the ocean back home. Noel walked ahead of her with an almost bounce to his step. It must comfort him to be with hunters. He didn't appear sad, at the very least, though she noticed by now Noel hid his emotions from others.

The cool metal thumped against her chest, ever reminding her of where she came from, and what she fought to protect. But Noel had no such reminder. His future was empty, cold, alone. Chills ran down her spine as memories of the barren wasteland flooded back from their first meeting. Was that what his land looked like? Seas of bleak beige?

The large pink nose of Mog clouded her vision. "I see one ahead, kupo!"

"Good job," Serah complimented, scratching the back of her strange weapon companion. He spun off towards the right, a large pink sparkling blur. Noel backtracked and walked in tandem with her. "Did you have tests to prove you were a hunter too?"

Noel chuckled, "Bringing home your first big kill made you a hunter."

She laughed, "I should've guessed that would be the only test."

"Everything in my childhood revolved around survival. I suppose since I was one of the last born, they wanted to make sure I wouldn't die from a stupid mistake. My earliest memories were treating wounds of the others. I didn't have the strength to fight, but I did have the ability to do some first aid."

She frowned, "That must be terrible."

He shrugged it off. "It's a fact of life."

"Kupo, kupo, kupo," Mog whined, flying in time with the sheep.

Noel laughed. "Are you a sheep too Mog?"

"They're so cute," Serah cooed, picking up one of the lambs. "It's a giant ball of fluff!" She held it up to the sky like a baby, "Aw, and it even has little mini horns!" The lamp cried and tried to wiggle out of her grasp. "Whoa, little guy, it's okay, it's okay!"

Noel chuckled and pulled out the shears. "Here, keep a hold of him while I cut."

She nodded and tried to keep him steady, but it only made him upset and he wriggled too much for Noel to risk cutting. She bit her lip, "I don't think this is going to work."

He nodded in agreement. "We need to calm him down somehow."

"Hm, they eat grass normally, but do you think there's something special they would enjoy?"

"That's a good idea, but where would we find it?" Serah frowned and gently stroked the crying lamb's back. That seemed to calm it somewhat, for it stopped wriggling. Noel's eyes glistened with an idea. He ripped some of the long grass and held it with one hand in front of his mouth. The sheep munched happily on it and stopped moving completely.

Serah grinned, "He's happy!"

"Here, feed him and keep petting him while I cut the wool."

She marveled at how deftly his fingers snipped the wool from its body. Everything he did had a clean, precise feel to it. Once he finished she set it down and it ran back to its pack. "Wanna tackle the large one next? The adults seem to have the coarse wool she wanted," she suggested.

"I think we'd both have to tackle that one at once. I doubt you can hold him in your arms," he chuckled. "Here, I'll grab one and you try snipping." He picked up another lamb and stroked and fed it as she did. Serah tried to snip as cleanly as he did, but her fingers were clumsy and unskilled compared to his surgical precision.

He half smiled and placed his hand over hers, gently guiding her hand where it needed to be and squeezing when it was time to snip. "Just follow the flow of their hair to get a clean cut," he instructed. Her cuts became cleaner, with each snip. "You're a quick learner," he complimented.

She flushed. "You're a good teacher."

"Am I," he repeated with a smile. "Considering you're my first pupil and a teacher yourself, I'll take that compliment."

She gave him a warm smile. "Looks like this one is done."

"I'll shear the rest of the little ones and then we can tackle the big one together."

She nodded in agreement and picked up the next one, heaving as she lifted him. "This ones fat," she giggled, "You're more of a little piggy than sheep!" As Noel snipped the wool, a small pot belly appeared. "Look at his little tummy," she squealed, laughing as he hobbled away.

Her enthusiasm made him laugh. She may coo over the sheep, but she was the adorable one here. He relished her smiling face and giggles. They did not get many moments like this. When the little ones were exhausted, they turned their attention to the big mama.

"We'll go at it from both sides, okay?"

She grinned, "One two strike!" They rushed to the large sheep. Noel wrapped his arms around its neck and Serah wrapped hers around its middle. They each used one hand to snip as swiftly as possible, for she did not like being cut one bit and let it be known. The bald babies all hopped around her, as though they laughed that she shared their fate as well.

Once they snipped all the wool and a huge pile of fluff lay on the ground, they released the animal. It promptly turned and butted Noel to the ground before hopping away. Serah couldn't help but laugh. Even Mog laughed at Noel's fate.

He grunted in mock anger before laughing himself. Serah walked over and held out her hand. Noel grabbed onto it and pulled her down. She yelped as she fell on top of him.

"Noel," she whined, playfully punching his chest, "Why did you do that?"

"It's not fair I'm the only one punished," he chuckled.

She pursed her lips in mock anger and pinned his arms down. "Now you're gonna get it."

"Get what," he mused, easily rolling on top of her and reversing the situation.

"Hey," she cried, wriggling underneath him. "That's not fair!" He chuckled and kept his hold firm. "Mog, help me," she whined, but her companion was enamored with following the sheep.

"Looks like you're out of luck," he teased. "What will you do for me if I let you go?"

"Give you a bump on the head," she retorted, flopping her body like a fish. "Noel!"

He chuckled and loosened his grip enough to give her a bit of leeway without compromising his dominance. "Oh, you're almost free," he jabbed. She grunted and writhed with full force to no avail. She pouted and looked into his eyes.

He swallowed. Perhaps he took things a bit too far. After all, she was an engaged woman. To a rash jerk, but engaged none the less. He stared into her slate blue eyes, unsure of how to proceed without being awkward.

The playful aura vanished as Serah realized how intimate of a position they were in. Her face flushed as her heart beat quickened. Those sea blue eyes could drown a person. The seconds ticked away, though in practice time stopped. Her breaths stopped. He held an earnest conviction and a warmth that consumed her. She stared at him as though noticing him for the first time.

The wind whistled through the long blades, cooling their minds. "You win," she breathed. He rolled off her and stood, then pulled her up. Awkward silence. She giggled nervously, "Looks like we have a lot of wool to pick up, huh?" Their play spread the gathered wool all around them. He half laughed, still shaken by the situation. She glanced up at him with mischievous grin. "Want to see who can pick up the most?"

His normal demeanor returned. "Good luck," he smirked, immediately stuffing a large clump into the pouch.

"Oh," she cried, stumbling forward, "You never play fair!"

They looked at each other and laughed as they picked up their bounty.

A/N: I could not get the cuteness of those sheep out of my head. It was a pretty silly quest, but it gave me a fun idea. Chronologically this would be before the previous chapter.